Derek underneath the first crux roof on Shockley's...
Description
This route is considered to be one of the top three 5.6 routes at the Gunks, with High E and Madame G being the other two. The first two pitches can be linked up with Strictly From Nowhere - climb past the first roof of Strictly, and make a traverse right to the belay just below the Shockley's roof. P1 and P2 can easily be combined.
The Shockley's access trail is located almost exactly where the East Trapps Connector Trail (the Stairmaster) meets the carriage road. This is about a 5-min. walk from the Uberfall.
P1: Start 25' right and uphill from Strictly in a large right-facing dihedral. Follow a chimney to an awkward step around a roof. 5.4, 50'.
P2: Angle up and right into a steep right-facing corner. Follow fun jugs to a lichen-y slab finish. Belay on the large ledge below the roofs. 5.5, 120'.
P3: The money pitch. Jam the hand crack through the roof. After making the crux move, place some gear for your 2nd. Continue through the second roof and follow a crack system to the clifftop. 5.6, 100'.
Communication from the clifftop is notoriously bad - plan accordingly (and also know that people on the carriage road will hear you and your partners much better than you will hear each other - this is often quite amusing!).
Traverse to the left and rap 3 times with a single rope down Strictly or continue to the left and rap down bolted stations near the finish of Arch.
The crux roof was the scene of my first ever leader fall, in Fall 1977, onto an archaic pin. I was sure that I was going to die. Its rating, at 5.6, is a sandbag, but it's not the only sandbag at the Gunks in this rating range. It's an amazing climb. A truly high-quality outing for the solid 5.8 leader who is experienced with traditional gear. A potential horror fest for anyone else.
The popularity of this route has a lot more to do with the classic photo-op at the roof and the proximity to the road than the climbing itself. It's an OK route but the crux is a real grunt (well protected though!) and definitely not really 5.6. The rest of the route is OK but not classic. Waiting in line for Shockley's is a waste of time--there are plenty of better lines at the grade. It's also notorious for long waits at the crux pitch--I've seen parties take hours to clear this. Note that you can easily bail to the left instead of waiting for some poor panicked novice that keeps swinging into space.
If you want another classic 5.6 in the area, go for Arch / Wrist.
And there's absolutely no reason to rap - the walk to the Uberfall is all of about 5 minutes from the top or bottom.
By Adam Catalano From: Albany, New York Mar 15, 2006
A definite must for anyone looking for the Gunks experience. Hit it during the week. Start on the first pitch of Strictly from Nowhere to the top of the block and then right onto Shockley's. The roof move is not that difficult. All of 5.6+. I think the tougher move is just before topping out, jamming the wide crack when you are out of your #2 cause you used it under the roof.
I think the Gunks Select Guidebook has it at a 5.7. It sucks for short people. My bro being shorter than I (I am only 5'9") always had trouble reaching up for a good hold.
Excellent climb. Better than Hi E, cause the 2nd pitch was a blast too. It's a Gunks 5.6, meaning there are great hand holds from the bottom to the top. I slammed a cam into the roof's crack and pulled over it, go for it, the gear is there...
But I did noticed just below the roof there was a very old bag of sand tucked into the crack.
Seeing these pics of Shockley's is great. The look down perspective of the roof move gives you a new feel for Gunks climbing. I have always thought that the crux of this climb are the final top out moves, rounded, steep and they sneak up on you after you have done the roof pull. This climb used to be rated 5.5! Whatever the grade, nice pics, cool climb.
In my opinion, the first two pitches of this route aren't junk - they're fun Gunks 5.3 and worth doing! You can easily string together the first two pitches to the GT ledge if you have double ropes.
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